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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Coming off its first road win in conference play of the season, WKU will look to remain perfect in C-USA action as the Lady Toppers travel to Florida Atlantic on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. (CT). WKU's current eight-game winning streak against the Owls is its second-longest active streak against a C-USA opponent, trailing only 10 straight wins over Old Dominion.
WKU seized control of Thursday's game at FIU with a 34-point third quarter, and both Dee Givens (31) and Raneem Elgedawy (28) hit career-highs in points as the Lady Toppers shot 56.7 percent (38-of-67) and took down the Panthers, 94-82, in FIU's Education Day tilt.
With a win on Saturday afternoon, WKU would move to 5-0 in C-USA play for the third time in five seasons as a member of the league. The Lady Toppers previously started with at least five straight wins in conference play in both 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Juliette Gauthier (10.1) leads Florida Atlantic in scoring this season, with Abby Voss (6.3) and Ra'Kyra Gabriel (5.6) lead the way in rebounds per game; Glenisha Harkless has dished out a team-best 39 assists. The Owls enter Saturday's matchup on a 10-game losing streak, with their last win coming in a 70-66 decision at Siena on Dec. 1.
WKU will return to E.A. Diddle Arena next Thursday evening at 6 p.m. as the Lady Toppers welcome Southern Miss in a rematch of the 2015 and 2017 C-USA Tournament title games.
GAME #19 / C-USA GAME #5 – WKU AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC
WKU (10-8, 4-0 C-USA) at Florida Atlantic (3-15, 0-5 C-USA)
January 19, 2019 | 1:00 p.m. (CT)
Boca Raton, Fla. | FAU Arena (2,500)
QUICK SHOTS
- After never hitting double-digit three-pointers in back-to-back games, WKU has now accomplished the feat in three straight games with 10 apiece against Old Dominion, Marshall and FIU. Since entering C-USA play, WKU has been extremely sharp from beyond the arc, knocking down 36 of its 69 triples (52.2 percent) across the last four contests.
- WKU has enjoyed one of its best shooting seasons in recent memory and has hit the 50 percent mark from the floor in 10 games already this season. The Lady Toppers have shot 50 percent or better in five straight games, its longest such streak since also having a five-game streak in the middle of the 2014-15 campaign. Since Greg Collins has been on The Hill in 2012-13, WKU is 34-3 when shooting 50 percent or better.
- At FIU on Jan. 17, Dee Givens (31) and Raneem Elgedawy (28) both scored career-highs in points and paired to score 59 of WKU's 94 points against the Panthers. Givens and Elgedawy's 59 combined points were the most by any Lady Topper duo in a single game since Crystal Kelly (38) and current assistant coach Tiffany Porter-Talbert (21) also had 59 against Charlotte on Nov. 22, 2005.
- With its win last Saturday over Marshall, WKU extended its school record for consecutive conference victories inside Diddle Arena. The decision over the Thundering Herd was the Lady Toppers' 22nd straight C-USA home win dating back to Feb. 25, 2016, topping the previous record of 19 straight wins in the Sun Belt from Jan. 9, 1991, to Feb. 20, 1994.
- Through 18 games, both the single-season makes and percentage record in school history are potentially in sight for the Lady Toppers. WKU has knocked down 132 triples this season and is chasing the record of 242 set in 2016-17, while the Lady Toppers are shooting 38.8 percent (132-of-340) from beyond the arc, a mark that would rank third in program history.
- Since joining C-USA prior to the 2014-15 campaign, WKU has earned 27 road victories in conference play. That number tops victory totals for all but one C-USA program (Middle Tennessee) on their own home courts over the same span.
- Among the 23 first-time Division I head coaches this season, Greg Collins currently ranks sixth with his 10 victories. More impressively, no other team under a first-time head coach is averaging more points per game than the Lady Toppers, who are scoring at a 77.6 per game clip.
- Sherry Porter has enjoyed a strong sophomore season, averaging seven points per game and starting all but four games. However, her star has shined even brighter since conference play began, including her career-best 20-point performance against Marshall. In C-USA play, Porter is averaging 9.5 points per game and owns the second-best assist-turnover ratio in the conference, with 13 assists to only three giveaways.
- Over its first five seasons as a member of Conference USA, WKU owns a 63-11 mark against the rest of the league since joining and posted a 12-4 record last season.
- Meral Abdelgawad captured her second straight C-USA Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 7 after a 22-point outing against Old Dominion. Over her last three games, Abdelgawad is averaging 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals while shooting 65.5 percent from the floor; she became the first C-USA player to win back-to-back outright Freshman of the Week awards in more than two years with the honor. Abdelgawad is also the first WKU true freshman with multiple 20-point games in a single season since Alexis Govan during the 2011-12 campaign.
- Legendary Lady Topper Basketball head coach Paul Sanderford was named one of 12 finalists for the 2019 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame on Jan. 10. Sanderford won 365 games and reached three Final Fours in 15 seasons at the helm of the Lady Toppers.
- This season, WKU's defense has limited its opponents to fewer than 70 points on eight occasions, coming away with a win in all eight games. Over the last three seasons dating back to 2016-17, the Lady Toppers have posted a 51-3 record when holding their opponents under 70 points, including a perfect 32-0 mark when limiting them to fewer than 60 points.
- Through 18 games, WKU ranks 13th in the nation in most free throws made, knocking down 260 shots from the charity stripe. The Lady Toppers have made 10 more free throws than the next closest C-USA squad (Louisiana Tech) and are making an average of 14.4 free throws per contest. For the year, WKU is just shy of making more free throws than its opponents have attempted, with the opposition combining for 292 attempts.
- Dee Givens has 56 total steals, an average of 3.1 per game, this season, a number that ranks ninth among all qualifying Division I players. Givens' 56 steals is also the top mark among all C-USA players. Givens enjoyed a breakout defensive game with eight steals against Marshall, tied for the most by a C-USA player this season and the most by a Lady Topper since Kendall Noble's school-record 10 at North Texas on Feb. 5, 2015.
- Despite having her streak of 38 consecutive made free throws snapped against Ball State, Dee Givens has enjoyed a strong season from the charity stripe. Givens' .866 (71-of-82) percentage ranks fourth in the nation among all Division I players who have attempted at least 70 free throws this season.
- WKU moved one step closer to the 1,000-win plateau with its victory at FIU on Jan. 17. The Lady Toppers now sit just six wins shy of becoming the 10th program in Division I history to reach that mark.
- Under Greg Collins, WKU has featured a revamped, fast-paced offensive attack this season and is averaging 77.6 points per game through 18 contests. Should WKU average at least 75 points per game this season, the Lady Toppers will have hit that mark in four of the five most recent seasons after previously not doing so since 2004-05.
- WKU has been efficient at forcing turnovers this season, forcing its opponents into an average of 17.7 giveaways per game. The Lady Toppers have forced double-digit turnovers in 70 straight games dating back to a Jan. 7, 2017, contest at Old Dominion.
- Through 18 games, Raneem Elgedawy and Meral Abdelgawad have combined to score 468 of WKU's 1,396 points, just over a third of the team's total. In addition to their scoring, the duo has combined for 185 rebounds, also just under a third of the team's total of 596.
- Despite its rally falling just short at Oklahoma on Nov. 10, WKU scored its most points in a single quarter since moving to the system in 2015-16, netting 35 points in the fourth frame against the Sooners. The 35 points were WKU's most since setting the previous record of 33 points in the fourth quarter against Dayton in the WNIT on March 17, 2016.
- The Lady Toppers were picked fourth in the preseason C-USA coaches' poll, but have met or exceeded their expectations in each of the last two years. In 2016-17, WKU won the tournament title after being picked first, and repeated as champions in 2017-18 after a second-place pick.
- WKU put together an 11-1 record inside Diddle Arena last season and has posted an 81-15 record inside the friendly confines of its home arena since Greg Collins has been with the program in 2012-13. The Lady Toppers are currently on a four-game home winning streak dating back to their win over Union on Dec. 29.
- WKU enters the 2018-19 season having had only five international letterwinners in program history, including sophomore Raneem Elgedawy. This year, the Lady Toppers will sport three international student-athletes on the roster, with Arame Niang and Meral Abdelgawad joining Elgedawy on The Hill.
- In its four seasons as a C-USA member, WKU has claimed a pair of regular season titles and has won the conference tournament three times, including back-to-back wins in both 2017 and 2018. WKU is only the second school in C-USA history to claim back-to-back tournament titles as a league member, joining former member Tulane, who won three straight from 1999-2001.
- In each of Greg Collins' six previous years on WKU's bench, the Lady Toppers have had 20 or more victories, with the team looking to extend that streak in 2018-19. WKU's current streak of six 20-win seasons is its second-longest in program history, trailing only seven straight from 1982-83 to 1988-89 during the Paul Sanderford era. In WKU's modern era (since 1973-74), five of the 10 head coaches have captured 20-win seasons in their debut years on The Hill, most recently with Michelle Clark-Heard's 22 wins in 2012-13.
BROADCAST
Listen: 102.7FM, 1450AM in Bowling Green (Brett Williams, pxp)
Live Stream: C-USA TV (Online Stream)
Live Audio: C-USA TV (Online Audio)
Live Stats: Courtesy of Florida Atlantic Athletics
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